On a night made for Kylian Mbappé, France booked their place in the World Cup's knockout rounds in style — and their captain wrote himself a little further into the tournament's record books.
A comfortable win
France beat Sweden 3-0 in their round-of-32 match at MetLife Stadium near New York, ESPN reported, to reach the round of 16. Mbappé opened the scoring just before halftime and struck again in the 74th minute, with Bradley Barcola adding a third in the second half. Michael Olise created two of the goals, and Sweden — kept in the game for long stretches by their goalkeeper — never seriously threatened a comeback before bowing out of the tournament.
Into the record books
Mbappé's brace earned him a place at the top of a World Cup list: with his latest goal, he set a record for goals scored in the competition's knockout rounds, moving past the previous holders, as ESPN and Sports Illustrated reported. At 27, he has become one of the most prolific goalscorers in World Cup history.
Chasing Messi
The two goals also took Mbappé to 18 career World Cup goals — leaving him just one short of Lionel Messi's all-time record of 19. With France still alive in the tournament, the Frenchman has time to close, or even erase, that gap. He sits on six goals at this World Cup, among the leading scorers of the competition.
Paraguay await
France, who lost the 2022 final, now advance to the round of 16, where they will face Paraguay — a side that has been one of the tournament's surprises, having knocked out Germany on its way through. On current form, with Mbappé scoring freely and a deep, talented squad around him, France will start as favorites and look very much like genuine contenders to go all the way. For Sweden, a tournament that promised much ends in the first knockout round, undone by a French team simply operating at a higher level.
